Oregon Public Broadcasting

Tuesday was the first of a two-day opportunity for the public to hear an independent panel discuss the federal government's plan for the Northern Spotted Owl.  Andrew Theen reports.

Federal officials chose Portland scientist Stephen Courtney to chair the review of the government's initial draft recovery plan.  Courtney and his hand-picked panel have until the end of February to submit their findings.

Dominick DellaSala is an Ashland-based scientist.  He says owl populations would be "much worse off" if logging on federal lands returned to the levels seen before the Clinton Administration's Northwest Forest Plan was implemented.

Dominick DellaSala: "Instead this Administration however is reducing habitat by trying to move away from the Northwest Forest Plan and opening more federal lands to old growth logging."

DellaSala says he respects all the scientists on the panel, but he's concerned their findings won't be revealed to the public.

The final federal recovery plan is supposed to be released sometime in April.

Fish and Wildlife officials say their goal is to recover the spotted owl, and that no specific plan is in place to do so.